Advertising

This Ad will close in 3 seconds

1 / 54

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – One day after the year’s largest roster cut and one week before they begin their season, the Giants today significantly reshaped their roster by adding six players who were released yesterday by other teams.

The newest Giants are defensive end Mario Edwards, Jr., wide receiver Kaelin Clay, center Spencer Pulley, and defensive backs Antonio Hamilton, Mike Jordan and Kamrin Moore. They are expected to be on the field tomorrow, when the Giants will hold their first practice in preparation for their opener next Sunday at home vs. Jacksonville.

Related Links

To create space on the 53-man roster for the new players, the Giants terminated the contract of two vested veterans, guard John Jerry and defensive back William Gay, and waived four players, including second-year quarterback Davis Webb. The other players who were waived were tight end Jerell Adams, wide receiver Hunter Sharp and defensive tackle Josh Banks.

A look at the newest Giants:

*Edwards, 6-3 and 280 pounds, played the previous three seasons for the Oakland Raiders, who selected him on the second round – 35th pick overall – in the 2015 NFL Draft, from Florida State. He has played in 30 regular-season games with 24 starts, and he started the only postseason game in which he played.

Edwards’ career totals include 68 tackles (48 solo), 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and three passes defensed. In 2017, he started all 14 games in which he played (missing two games with an ankle injury) and set a career high with 3.5 sacks. The previous year, he played in only the final two games – plus the AFC Wild Card Game at Houston – after missing the first 14 games with a hip injury. As a rookie in 2015, he played in 14 games with 10 starts and had career-high totals of 41 tackles (31 solo), including 2.0 sacks, plus three forced fumbles and three passes defensed.

In his three seasons at Florida State, Edwards played in 36 games with 26 starts, primarily at defensive end. He also saw ac­tion at defensive tackle, linebacker and fullback in some jumbo goal-line packages. Edwards totaled 89 tackles (52 solo), 23 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks, seven passes defensed, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

*Clay, 5-10 and 195 pounds, has played in 20 regular-season games: seven for Baltimore in 2015, and nine for Carolina and four for Buffalo last season. He started two games for the Panthers.

Most of Clay’s action has been as a return specialist. He has a 9.4-yard average on 42 punts returns, including 60 and 82-yard touchdowns. Clay also has a 23.2-yard average on 17 kickoff returns.

On offense, Clay has six receptions for 85 yards, with a long catch of 28 yards, plus three rushing attempts for 27 yards.

Clay entered the NFL as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ sixth-round draft choice in 2015, from Utah. He was on the practice squads of the Bucs and Detroit Lions before signing with the Ravens on Nov. 17, 2015. Clay made his NFL debut five days later, and in his second game he returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown at Cleveland. In 2016, Clay did not appear in a game before the Ravens released him on Nov. 11. Last year, he signed with the Panthers, was traded to Buffalo, then to Carolina after he was released by the Bills. Clay had a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown in MetLife Stadium for the Panthers vs. the Jets.

*Pulley, 6-4 and 308 pounds, started all 16 games last season at center for the Chargers, who signed him as an undrafted rookie in 2016. In his first season, he played in all 16 games without a start, dividing his time between center and both guard positions.

Los Angeles signed three-time Pro Bowler Mike Pouncey in the offseason to play center.

Last year, Pulley was in the middle of an offensive line that allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL (18). The line kept Philip Rivers upright long enough for him to throw for 4,515 yards and 28 touchdowns, against just 10 interceptions. In addition, Chargers running back Melvin Gordon rushed for 1,105 yards and eight touchdowns.

*Hamilton, 6-0 and 190 pounds, played 12 games for Oakland the previous two seasons (four in 2016, eight last year). He has 12 solo tackles in his career, including nine last year, plus two special teams stops.

Hamilton was signed by the Raiders as a rookie free agent in 2016 from South Carolina State.

Last season, he appeared in eight games, playing on defense and special teams. Hamilton was placed on injured reserve with a knee inju­ry on Oct. 14 and activated on Dec. 15. He had a career-high eight tackles in the season finale at the Chargers.

*Jordan, 6-1 and 200 pounds, has played in 20 regular-season games with three starts. His career totals include 37 tackles (nine solo) and five passes defensed.

Jordan entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Los Angeles Rams in 2016, when he played in five games with two starts, and had 20 tackles (15 solo). He was waived at the end of training camp last year and signed with the Cleveland Browns, for whom he played in 15 games with one start. Jordan was credited with 17 tackles (13 solo) and three passes defenses, plus six special teams tackles.

*Moore is a rookie who was selected on the sixth-round (189th overall) of the NFL Draft this year by the New Orleans Saints, from Boston College.

In the preseason, he was credited with five tackles (three solo), a half-sack, and one forced fumble.

Moore played in 44 games with 30 starts in four seasons at Boston College, where he as credited with 140 tackles (98 solo) and had two interceptions.

*Jerry started every game for the Giants the previous two seasons, and his 39 consecutive starts was the Giants’ longest active streak at the end of the 2017 season.

Adams, a sixth-round draft choice in 2016, played in 29 games with three starts and had 24 catches for 214 yards and one touchdown.

Gay is a 12-year veteran who had two five-year stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers sandwiched around a single season with the Arizona Cardinals. He has played in 176 consecutive regular-season games, plus 15 postseason contests.

Sharp played in the season’s final two games for the Giants last year and had five catches for 54 yards.

Webb was a 2017 third-round draft choice who did not play in a regular-season game.

Banks was signed as a rookie free agent last year and spent the entire season on injured reserve.

*The Giants also signed eight players to their practice squad, all of whom they released yesterday. The group includes linebacker Avery Moss, a 2017 fifth-round draft choice, and linebacker Calvin Munson, who played in 14 games with five starts last year.